Harry Potter and the Cruise of a Lifetime
by gr8street
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione are about to graduate from Hogwarts. Voldemort has been defeated and they are about to move on with their lives. Before they do however, Harry comes up with an idea that they should all go on a cruise.


"Hey Ron, want to go on a trip once we graduate?" Harry asked, turning to one of his best friends who was sitting to his left.

Ron looked at Harry with interest. Ever since Harry had finally defeated Voldemort in the early part of their 7th year, there had been a change in Harry's attitude. Ron and Hermione were the first ones to notice but they didn't mind, since it was a change for the better. Harry seemed more lively, as if he had a great burden lifted off his shoulders and was more lively and enthusiastic. Harry had also surprised a lot of people by acing all his NEWT's and had planned on joining the Ministry of Magic as an Auror. There was no doubt in Ron's mind that Harry was going to be one of the highest paid Aurors, if not the highest especially since his dad was now Minister. "Sure Harry, what do you have in mind?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a second, looking down at the tattoos that now covered his entire arms. Once he defeated Voldemort, Harry had gotten his entire upper body tattooed and part of his legs. "I was thinking of going on a cruise that leaves from Harwich that goes to Bermuda and the Bahamas."

Before Ron could answer, two girls walked up to them. One of them was one of his good friends Hermione and the other was Hermione's close friend Lavender. "Looks like we got company now Harry," he said as the girls sat down next to them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Lavender asked, smiling at Ron and Harry. "Oh Harry, I didn't know you had tattoos," she said, noticing a tattoo on his left wrist which had a scroll with the words _'PEACE ALMIGHTY, FORGIVE ME'_ tattooed on it.

"Oh um, I've had these tattoos since I beat Voldemort," Harry said, letting Lavender see the tattoos which covered his left and right arms.

"Well, Harry and I were talking about taking a two week cruise after we graduate," Ron said.

"Where is the cruise going to and for how long?" Hermione asked.

"It's a two week cruise to Bermuda and the Bahamas. I mean, I doubt we can go immediately after graduation but we can go sometime in August," Harry said to Hermione and Lavender.

Hermione thought for a second. Spending two weeks with the man she had fallen in love with didn't seem to be a bad idea. "I'd love to go on this cruise with you and Ron," she said before realizing she needed to know how much she owed Harry as well as what she needed to pack. "Just let me know how much I owe you and what I should pack."

"Sure Hermione, what about you Lavender?" Harry asked.

"Yeah I'll go but just let me know how much and what I should pack," Lavender said, realizing she would be spending time with Ron.

"Well, this trip before we all move on with our lives seems like a great idea," Ron said merrily as he got up. "I'll see all of you later," he said with a wave.

A few seconds after Ron left, Lavender also got up. "Um, I have something really important I need to do so I'll see both of you later," she said before she quickly walked away in the direction that Ron had gone.

Harry watched Lavender go after Ron and he chuckled softly. He knew Ron had a huge crush on Lavender and the feelings were mutual as Lavender also had a huge crush on Ron. Meanwhile, the girl he had feelings for was sitting right next to him. It was funny how he could face Voldemort and a thousand Death Eaters fearlessly but he was scared of telling the girl he loved that he loved her. With a sigh, Harry turned to look at Hermione. Her once bushy hair was no longer bushy and she had developed into a beautiful young woman who had captured his heart. He was so lost in thought about Hermione that he didn't notice when she began talking. This led her to get his attention some other way.

"Harry, did you hear a word I said?" she asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Err, did you say something Hermione?" he asked, once she got his attention. Before she had snapped her fingers, he was busy thinking about what lay under her clothes. Even though she was his friend, there was something about her which made him a different man.

"I was just commenting on how Ron and Lavender keep dancing around each other and its obvious to everyone except for them," she said.

"You know, I think it's funny that there's a lot of guys who aren't afraid to deal with something like Voldemort but when it comes to girls, they're scared to death," he said, thinking about his situation with Hermione.

"Harry, I'm assuming that describes you," she said, looking at him with a big smile on her face. "So you want to tell me who the lucky girl is?"

He looked over and saw she seemed really eager to find out who he was in love with. After realizing this was the perfect time to tell her, he began thinking of a way to tell her. Before he could come up with any ideas though, there was a huge shadow in front of them. Once both of them looked up, they saw it was none other than Hagrid. "Hey Hagrid," he said.

"Harry, Hermione, how yeh doin'?" Hagrid asked them.

"We're fine Hagrid," Hermione said, staring up at the half-giant in front of them.

"I can't believe yeh two gonna be graduatin' pretty soon. Yeh know I remember when yeh were all lil' first years," Hagrid said, a dreamy look across his face.

"I know I'm definitely going to miss the memories I've had at Hogwarts," Harry replied.

"Yeh, I kno' I definitely had some good memories yeh kno' but I gotta run so I'll see both of yeh later," Hagrid said, walking off toward the castle.

Both of them waved to Hagrid before turning to each other. Harry felt his shirt get soaked from sweat so he removed his t-shirt, revealing the tattoos he had on his chest and ribs. Hermione blushed a little once Harry removed his shirt and she tried her best to not stare at his well toned and defined upper body which was covered in tattoos. The tattoo that stood out the most on Harry's body for her was a tattoo that showed Godric Gryffindor sitting on a phoenix with a wand in one hand and a sword in another. While over half of his body was now covered in tattoos, Hermione didn't mind. In fact, she thought they made him look even more attractive.

"Hermione, why are you staring at me?" he asked with interest on his face.

Hermione blushed a furious shade of red once she realized he had caught her looking at the lion tattooed across his chest. "Um, I'm not staring at you," she said, telling the worst lie ever as she looked at his smiling face.

Harry gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That's like Malfoy saying he wants to be best friends with me now."

She chuckled softly and felt her body soften with the feel of his arm across her shoulders. "Fine, I was busy staring at your tattoos," she said, leaning against his chest.

"Hermione, I just want to know how you feel about my tattoos," he said, feeling extremely surprised when she leaned against his chest.

"What do you mean Harry?" she mumbled. "Do you mean if I approve?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, um there's nothing I can do if I don't approve anyway since you already have the tattoos. Personally, I don't really think it should be up to me because it is your body but I honestly think they make you look better," she said with a blush.

Harry nodded then got up when he realized dinner would be soon. "Hermione, we have to go eat dinner now," he said, getting up off the ground.

"Oh yeah, you're right Harry," she said, accepting his hand. "I can't believe we have so much time to ourselves once the NEWT's are over," she said, realizing that she was still holding onto his hand.

"Um Hermione, you're still holding my hand," he told her once they were near the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry Harry," she said, quickly releasing his hand.

"Don't worry about it Hermione," he said as they entered the Great Hall.

Within minutes, Harry and Hermione went to sit with the rest of the 7th years at the Gryffindor table. All of the 7th years had miraculously survived the battle against Voldemort and had only suffered a few severe injuries. Now, the entire group of 7th years were a joyful bunch who enjoyed each other's company and looked forward to the graduation ceremony that would be taking place in a few days. Once the food arrived, all thoughts of their previous conversation were erased from the minds of Harry and Hermione, who were extremely hungry. Over half an hour later, the food was gone and the Gryffindors went back to their common room.


End file.
